(1) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a wheel suspension for a vehicle, with a support, a steering knuckle, which is connected in an articulated manner to the support by way of several interconnected joints, a vehicle wheel supported on the steering knuckle for rotation, at least one connecting element which extends between a first of the joints and a second of the joints and which is connected in an articulated manner to the steering knuckle by way of the first joint and to the support by way of the second joint, at least one angle detection device configured to measure at least one rotation angle of at least one of the joints and to generate at least one angle signal characterizing the rotation angle, and an evaluation device which is coupled to the angle detection device and which is or can be used to evaluate the angle signal.
(2) Description of Related Art
DE 102 21 873 A1 discloses a bearing for a control arm of a wheel suspension, wherein at least one sensor arranged in or on the bearing determines the relative movement, such as the rotation, pivoting and/or displacement of the vehicle components connected by the bearing. It is furthermore possible to calculate the spring deflection and rebound of a wheel from the data supplied by the sensor.
DE 101 34 259 A1 discloses a ball joint with a ball joint housing and a ball pin with an articulated ball, wherein the ball pin with the articulated ball is rotatably and pivotally supported in the ball joint housing and protrudes with the pin from the ball joint housing. A two-pole field transducer is provided at one end of the articulated ball facing away from the pin, with the poles being arranged on the ball surface, wherein at least two field sensors are arranged in spaced-apart relationship in the ball joint housing. The ball joint is arranged, in particular, in the chassis of a motor vehicle, so that for example the wheel position, the steering angle or the spring deflection can be determined.
In systems capable of actively adjusting the kinematics of the suspension (e.g., steering, track or camber adjustment), length-adjustable mechanical elements (chassis suspension actuators) are employed, whose adjustment position for controlling the system or identifying the status must be known. Under normal conditions, distance sensors are integrated in the actuators. However, this requires installation space, suitability of the sensors for the specific application and results in higher costs.
On this basis, it is an object of the invention to provide a wheel suspension of the aforedescribed type with a controllable chassis actuator in a most cost-effective and simple manner.